Monday, May 31

-I have a little secret I've been keeping from my southern friends. Spiedies. Oh, you've heard me mention them, but have you sampled any? Not likely. Lupos Spiedie Sauce, without which one cannot make spiedies, is only found in one tiny part of the US, so when a Yankee friend (read: Rene') brings me a bottle, I stash it away and keep it to myself. -

Sit back and let me tell you about the love of my life.

-These are spiedies. Marinated chunks of meat cooked on a skewer over a grill (preferably beside a pool with a dog nearby). Spiedies ("spiedo" is Italian for "spit") are originally from Italy and can only be found in the US in the Broome County area of New York State, in which, by the grace of God, I happened to be born. In Italy, they use lamb. In NY, it's usually pork or chicken, sometimes lamb or even venison.

To turn chunks of meat into "spiedies," you must have spiedie marinade, which now is sold online, so you Southerners can try 'em out. Get you a bottle. Cut your meat into chunks and place in shallow container. Pour the marinade over the meat. Soak at least overnight - two or three nights make's them better. -On day two or three, take each chunk and slide it onto a skewer, fill up the skewer and lay them babies on the pre-heated grill beside the pool and the little bobbing dog. Don't over cook them. Once they are slightly browned, toasty and look done, cut one open and make sure there's no pink. When they're done remove from grill and enjoy. I eat them straight up. Most people take a slice of thick Italian bread in their left hand, skewer in the right hand, and squeeze the spiedies tightly in the bread, sliding the whole thing off the skewer. If you like, you can put a little extra marinade (from the bottle, not the raw meat soaking container) onto your sandwich to kick it up a notch. I've never needed to do this. I like to use my sauce sparingly.- I know you Southerners will want your sweet tea, but we Yankees still drink milk with our meals. (that's what makes us so big and strong and able to do our chores)-Every month, Lupos on line offers special sales, click here to view.-The John Lupo story is pretty neat, too, I couldn't find it on their website, so I'll share it here, straight from the back of the bottle:"Back in 1953, John Lupo invented his now world famous recipe for Lupo's Spiedies. Initially, John opened a meat market where he sold his Spiedie meat. In 1966, with the dawn of the fast food industry, Lupo's Char-Pit was born - a drive-in restaurant specializing in charcoal-broiled Spiedies. John always joked he needed to have someplace for his five children to work. In 1975, with John's untimely passing, the tradition was handed down to his five children."

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Hi! I'm Pookie. Welcome to my planet. My planet is full of things I love that might benefit you. Food, book, movie, music and travel posts usually have a "review" feel to them and contain helpful information.